Would you support a Muslim charity if it was more effective than a Christian one?

Here’s the situation I’d like to pose to my fellow Christians: when engaged in charitable giving, do you value the Christian status of an organization over the efficiency of that organization? And if so, by how much?

That’s the general question, but now let me dress it up with some specifics.

A terrible earthquake with multiple casualties has occurred in a part of the developing world and you have the opportunity to offer support to the first responders/relief workers by way of a monetary donation. There are two groups working in the region and thus two possible ways to bring relief to the people: one of those groups is a Christian NGO and the other is a Muslim NGO.

All things being equal, it is natural for Christians to support the Christian NGO. But in this case, all things are not equal. You have reliable information that these organizations differ in their donation usage as follows:

Christian NGO: 20% to administration; 30% to promotion; 50% to the people in need.

Muslim NGO: 10% to administration; 15% to promotion: 75% to the people in need.

In short, if you donate to the Muslim NGO, you give up the benefit of having tied to a Christian proclamation. But you also gain the benefit of an organization which is substantially more effective at providing the stated purpose of both NGOs, namely of providing relief aid to those in need.

With that in mind, which organization do you support, and why? Share your thoughts below and feel free to contribute to the Twitter survey as well.

A survey for Christians: when engaged in charitable giving, do you value the Christian status of an organization over the efficiency of that organization?